Machine for sewing buttons to shoe uppers



B. T. LEVEQUE. MACHINE FOR SEWING BUTTONS T0 SHOE UPPERS. APPLICATION FILED JULYH, 1920.

1,41 5,250, Patented May 9,1922.

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BERNARD I LEVEQUE, or "warn-1AM, nassacirusnr'rs, essieivon TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY conroaa'rron, or RAEERSUN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR SEWING BUTTONS TO SHOE UPPERS.

Application filed July 14,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD T. Lnvnoun, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wenham, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Sewing Buttons to Shoe Uppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it. appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to machines for sewing shank-eyed buttons to shoe uppers, or other articles-in which the button is attached by passing a primary loop through the eye of the button, and a secondaryloop through the primary loop outside the eye and over the head of the button. v

The invention is intended primarily as an improvement in the machine shown and described in patent No. 1,268,441, dated April 23, 1918, although it is not confined in its application thereto, but may be embodied in other constructions. In the machine of this patent the secondary loop is spread laterally and carried down over the head of the button by looper fingers, and at the same-time the button is pushed through the spread loop. During this operation the thread of the secondary loop is held under tension by the action of the take-up, which is drawing thread through the tension de- V106.

- It has been found that in attachingcertain shapes of buttons, and particularly when operating upon buttons in which the eyes are frequently displaced, the taut sides of the loop occasionally interfere with the proper passage of the button through the loop. The present invention facilitates the passage of the button through the loop and insures the proper and uniform operation of the attaching mechanism when operating upon various styles and shapes of buttons by the provision of means for relieving the tension on the thread of the loop during the passage of the button head therethrough. This is preferably effected by releasing the tension devicewhile the button is being pushed through the secondary loop, al though the tension on the thread of the loop may be otherwise relieved without de- Speoification of Letters Patent.

parting from the broader scope of the invention.

A preferred form of the invention as embodied in the machine of the above patent is shown. in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an end elevation showing'so much of the machine as is necessary to illustrate the application of the present invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view showing the tension releasing mechanism, and Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic details illustrating the manner in which the button is passed through secondary loop.

The machine shown is provided with the eye-pointed needle 2, which is operated to pass the primary loop through the eye of a button held in the lower end of the button chute 4i, and to pass the secondary loop through the primary loop outside theeye; with. the looper fingers 6 which take the primary loop and hold it for the passage the therethrough of the needle, and also take the secondary loop, spread it laterally, and carry it down over the head of a button; with a take-up 8 which acts to tighten the primary and secondary loops; and with a tension device 10 through which. the thread leads to the take-up and needle. The lower end of the button chute is provided with the pusher fingers 12 which engage the head of the button and push it through the secondary loop after the loop has been spread .by the looper fingers 6, and as the looper fingers carry the spread loop down over the button as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4-. These parts, with the exception of the tension device, are constructed and operated as more fully shown and described in the above patent.

In order that the tension on the thread of the secondary loop may be relieved so that the sides of the loop may readily yield and be deflected to permit the ready passage of lever carries a cam engaging roll 20 and is held in engagement with a cam by a spring 22. The other arm'ott the lever carriesan adjustable tappet bolt 24 arranged to 'engage the inner end of a tension releasing pin 26; The pin passes through a hole in the stud 28 which carries the tension device, and the outer end of the pin bears against the disk 30, which is normally pressed against the thread engaging disks of the tension device by the spring 32.

Ihe cam 14 is provided with a high part 34 which acts upon the lever 18 and releases the tension device after the feed of the work has'taken place at the completion of a but ton attaching cycle when the machine is in the position in which it is stopped after a series of buttons have been attached. The release of the tension at this point in the rotation of the cam shaft eitects no function in the button attaching cycle and is merely to permit the thread to be readily manipulated when. the machine is stopped. The high part 34 may be so shaped that the tension device is rendered active to apply the "tension at point in the button attaching cycle before the needle completes its second upward stroke. As shown it is so shaped that the tension is applied about as the'needle finishes its first upward stroke. The tension device remains active until the take-up has taken up the first loop and the looper fingers have taken the secondary loop and spread it preparatory to the passage of the button therethrough. As the button pushers 12 move forward to push the button through the loop the projection 36 on the cam 14 engages the tension releasing lever 18 and releases the tension during the passage of the button through the loop. The projection immediately passes beyond the lever 18 so thatthe tension is re-applied while the take-up acts to tighten the secondary loop, and while the feed of the work takes place. The release'ot the tension device relieves the tension on the thread of the spread secondary loop so that either side of the loop is free to yield in case it is engaged by the head of the button and to be deflected sufliciently to permit the passage of the button head through the loop. The button will, therefore, be passed properly through the secondary loop even if the button head is not properly centered between the sides of the loop because of a misplaced or distorted shank.

What is claimed is:

1. A button attaching machine having, in combination, means for passing a primary loop through abutton eye and a secondary loop through the primary loop outside the eye and over the button head, means for pushing the button head through the sec;- ondary loop, and 1 means for relieving the tension on the thread of the Secondary loop during the passage of the button head there through.

2. A button attaching machine having, in combination, means for passing a primary loop through a button eye and a secondary loop through the primary loop outside the eye and for spreading the secondary loop, means for passing the button head through the secondary loop, and means for relieving the tension on the thread of the secondary loop during the passing of the button head therethrough.

3. A button attaching machine having, in combination, means for passing a primary loop through a button eye and a'secondary loop through the primary loop outside the eye, looper fingers for taking and spreadthe tension on the thread of the secondary loop while the button head is therethrough.

5. A button attaching machine having, in combination, a reciprocating needle for passing a primary loop through a button eye and a secondary loop through the primary loop outside the eye, looper fingers for spreading the secondary loop transversely of the primary loop and carrying it over the button being pushed head, a button pusher,and means for relieving the tension on the thread of the secondary loop during the action of the pusher.

6. A button attaching machine having, in combination, a reciprocating eye pointed needle for passing a primary loop through a button eye and a secondary loopthrough the primary loop outside the eye, devices for spreading the secondary loop transversely of the primary loop, means for pushing the button head through the spread loop, and means for relieving the tension on the thread of the secondary loop during the action of the pushing means.

7. A button attaching machine having, in

combination, a reciprocating needle forpasswhile the button is passing through the secondary loop.

8. A button attaching machine having, in combination, a reciprocating needle for passing a primary loop througha button eye and a secondary loop through the primary loop outside the eye, looper fingers for spreading the secondary loop and passing it over the button head, a thread tension device, a takeup for tightening the loops, means for pushing the button through the spread secondary loop, and a tension eleasing cam for releasing the tension at the end of the button attaching cycle and While the button is passing through the secondary loop.

BERNARD T. LEVEQUE. 

